1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally concerns absorbent products designed to adsorb body fluids and, more particularly, catamenial tampons designed to be worn within the vagina while receiving catamenia of women and, most particularly, catemenial tampons having an absorbent body which comprises an unbonded array of non-absorbent, hydrophilic, resilient, moisture insensitive fibers contained within a relatively loose fitting, porous overwrap.
2. Background Art
Heretofore, catamenial tampons have been primarily of two basic types. The first type is a generally rigid, highly compressed, absorbent body composed of absorbent fibers. Normally these tampons are presented as highly compressed cylinders approximately 3.8 to 5 centimeters long and 1.2 centimeters in diameter. These tampons have been highly compressed to facilitate insertion into body cavities and expand, if at all, only when contacted by the fluid to be absorbed. This compressed construction leads to the creation of very small voids and fluid passageways having relatively high capillarity thereby causing rapid and directional fluid transport within the tampon. One result of this state of affairs is rapid wicking of absorbed fluids to the anterior or lowermost portion of such a tampon thereby leading to early in-use failure. Another defect of such tampons is their relatively low absorbent capacity caused by their relatively high densities even in view of the inherent absorbent nature of their fibrous components. Finally, such tampons typically exhibit low resiliency both wet and dry with a concomitant inability to conform to the vaginal walls thereby frequently allowing by-pass (i.e. non-absorption) of fluids.
The second type of tampon is well illustrated by Schaeffer in U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,601 which issued on June 11, 1974 and which is herein incorporated by reference. Schaeffer discloses an improved tampon comprising an absorbent body which is an aggregate of separate pieces of low modulous, resilient, absorbent foam. The aggregate is held together by a porous overwrap which fits relatively loosely about the aggregate to permit relative motion between adjacent pieces of the foam aggregate. This tampon establishes and maintains a relatively large volume within the vagina immediately upon insertion and, therefore, has a relatively greater absorbent capacity than the absorbent fiber tampons discussed above. In addition, the Schaeffer tampon expands to substantially fill the entire cross-section of the vagina and into substantially complete contact with the vaginal walls thereby providing improved containment of fluids and by-pass control as compared to the compressed absobent fiber tampons.